


When We Were Young

by Dariary_Absentee



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awkward Crush, Dad!clint, F/M, First Crush, Fluff, Mom!Natasha, Not Canon Compliant, The Future, beware the moody teenager
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 12:36:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13787916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dariary_Absentee/pseuds/Dariary_Absentee
Summary: There was a girl sitting next to Jack on the bench. A longboard, which must be hers, leaned up against it and a black helmet that matched her shiny black hair.That’s new.Clint watched his son. He's glowing, not in the radiant sense--like he's embarrassed, his face can't possibly get any redder.Oh, that's definitely new.--Or, Clint's teenage son has his first crush and now he has to be a dad about it.





	When We Were Young

“See Snippy, told you it wouldn’t be so bad,” Clint remarked. “You’re like Nat, take a freakin’ day off.” 

Jack looked at his father skeptically. For starters, he wouldn’t call getting ice cream at the park ‘a day off.’ A day off would be sleeping for 16 hours, that’s more his thing.

He shrugged. “Whatever you say, man,” he grumbled. 

Clint rolled his eyes. He shouldn’t exactly be surprised his son acts like such a goddamn punk. He was equally as much of a punk if not more when he was his age. “I’m just saying, every once in a while put down the bow and the guitar and go outside. See people, for Pete's sake.”

Jack snorted. "I hate people." 

The sunshine feels nice against his skin though. It’s one of those picturesque days, the sun’s shining and the sky’s a robin egg blue color that you can only see between the trees and skyscrapers. Everyone and their grandmothers are out on a day like today. 

“Plus, I’m supposed to be making sure my teenage son doesn’t fall into drugs and alcohol, right?” Clint teased. “Keep him from getting into wrong crowd or whatever.” 

Jack smirked. “Hate to break it to ya, old man...,” he trailed off. It’s become a running joke between the two of them. Clint’s not a conventional father and Jack’s not a conventional kid, most rules that are out there usually don’t apply to either of them. It’s how they function as a weird man with an equally weird son. 

They found a park bench and sat down. It really is a nice day. Clint was especially happy they were both able to advantage of it.  

“God, when was the last time we did this anyways” 

Jack leaned back on the bench and frowned as if thinking. “I dunno, been awhile.” 

Clint remembers a time when he couldn’t take two steps without Jack being stuck to him. There was a time when getting so much as a millimeter of distance used to be impossible. They’ve come a long way since those days. He eyed Jack and just how tall he’s gotten, he’s almost taller than him. 

_ Jesus _ ,  _ it has been a while.  _

“You gonna cry, old man?” Jack snickered. 

“I’m gonna cry if you graduate,” he said.  In all seriousness, if he finishes high school without any extra years he might cry tears of joy. 

“I’ll graduate,” he said lazily. “Eventually.” 

“You better.” Clint stood up shaking his head. “What do you want for ice cream kid? Mint-chocolate chip?” 

Jack nodded, “it’s the only flavor I ever get, it’s the only one worth eating.” 

He kept shaking his head. “I left you around Nat way too much when you were a kid, I swear.” Mint-chocolate chip might be  _ okay  _ at best, but it certainly isn’t worthy of being the ‘only flavor worth eating,’ despite whatever feelings Natasha and Jack might have towards the others.  

Jack smirked, he didn’t say anything. All he has to do is look at him and he knows there’s something smart-mouthed floating around under all that blonde hair of his. 

“Punk,” Clint grumbled. “By the way, don’t be an idiot, okay kid? Just keep your ass on the bench until I get back.” 

Jack grinned was pretty damn close to shit eating. “No promises.”

_ When did he become such a fucking smart ass?  _ Clint shook his head and left. He knows he should count himself lucky, most kids like Jack don’t end up with much of anything personality wise, especially in their teens. Despite what most people might think, him being a ‘punk’ is probably a good sign...or leading to a good sign. 

Glass half full, okay? 

There are worst things for him than having a chip on his shoulder. 

“One mint chocolate chip and one chocolate,” the kid, probably around Jack’s age, said. He gave him back his change and he left. At least he’s grown up and he’s in one piece. So far he thinks he’s been doing his job pretty okay. 

There was a girl sitting next to Jack on the bench. A long board, which must be hers, leaned up against it and a black helmet that matched her shiny black hair. 

_ That’s new.  _

Clint watched his son. He had no clue what they were talking about but they were taking turns going back and forth becoming increasingly smug. The talking stopped on Jack's end, his mouth slightly ajar. He's glowing, not in the radiant sense, his face can't possibly get any redder. His mouth shut and opened and then he looked away from her entirely. 

The girl laughed. “You’re a funny one, Jack.” That Clint could hear loud and clear. His face split into the goofiest smile Clint’s ever seen on his face. 

He never thought he’d see Jack make that expression. The ‘completely melted, my brain is putty in your hands, wow you’re pretty’ face. God, the poor kid must be head over heels if he’s making it. She pressed a kiss to Jack's face, which proved Clint entirely wrong. His face can get redder, it did. She stood up and put her helmet back on.

She said something and smiled.

Jack waved weakly, his fingers barely moved. She started on her longboard back down the sidewalk and disappeared around the bend. He watched the entire way, completely unblinking 

Clint waited a few seconds before making his way back over to the bench. It would’ve been better to decide then if he was going to play dumb or say something. Jack looked like he wanted to punch something, probably himself in the face. Poor, kid. 

“You’re brooding,” Clint said. He decided it’d be better to play dumb. 

“I’m a moody teenager, it happens.” He took his cup of ice cream and spooned some into his mouth. 

Okay maybe playing dumb isn’t the right option. It rarely ever is with Jack. “Who was that?” 

Jack grimaced, the spoon hung from his mouth. “Why’re you spying on me, old man?”

“I’m not,” he said honestly, “I just saw you talking to her and assumed I should give you some space.” Jack glared at nothing-in-particular. If there’s one thing Clint knows about his son is that admitting he likes someone in  _ that  _ way probably isn’t going to ever happen. Even getting her name is probably going to be like pulling teeth. 

“Whatever,” he grumbled. 

“So…?” 

Jack huffed. “So nothing. She just goes to my school,  _ big-fucking-deal. _ ” 

“Aye, Snippy cool it with the f-bombs,” Clint chided. 

“Whatever….Sorry.” 

Clint watched his son. He can’t say he’s not amused. The kid’s never had a crush before, at least not one that he’s heard of, and he’s obviously lovestruck. Jack spooned his ice cream and stuck some in his mouth. “Her name’s Onyx.” 

Okay, so that was way easier than expected. 

“Onyx,” Clint repeated with both his eyebrows raised. “That’s an interesting name. You have a class with her, I'm guessing?”

Jack nodded. “We have English, it’s no big deal.”

There he goes sounding like Nat again. “Yeah, well the lipstick on your cheek says otherwise Snippy.”

His ears started to turn red again and he rubbed the bubble-gum pink from his face, “old man.” He pouted into his cup of ice cream. 

“You know it’s not that embarrassing,” he said.  

“I’m not having this conversation,” Jack grumbled.

They ate in silence after that. Although Clint’s far from done and nowhere close to letting him off the hook. “You gonna ask her to go out...or hang out or whatever you kids do these days?” 

Jack’s jaw clenched. “No,” he said sharply. “I dunno,” he mumbled. “Maybe, I guess.”  

Clint rolled his eyes at the kid.  _ Fifteen year olds, Jesus.  _ He knows Natasha going to be miffed that she’s missing this conversation, the  _ girls  _ conversation. It’s about time they had one, Jack’s never had so much as an inkling towards any gender until now. 

“So you like her?” 

Jack  _ bit  _ into his ice creaming and glared at the stump of a tree. “ _ No,”  _ he said defiantly.

Clint laughed through his nose, even he’s a little upset Natasha’s missing this, she’d rip him a new one for being so stupid. “Then why are you thinking about asking her out.” 

He watched the kid’s cheeks flush red again. “This is stupid,” he huffed. “I hate this.” He means the feeling he gets in his chest when he sees her, and the way he thinks about her stupid green eyes all the time. Worst of all, she can make him  _ do _ things. Jack knows if she asked, he’d walk her home. When she laughs, he laughs. When she smiles, he smiles. It’s  _ stupid.  _

“You’ve liked her for a while haven’t you?” Jack grimaced. “Be honest, it won’t kill you.” 

His grimaced deepened, “she helps Ms. Saint out sometimes...sometimes I see her over Bobby’s house, we all hang out...sort of. She’s pretty badass.” That’s the thing about Onyx, she can take him. The same way Bobby can, she’s all fragmented and burnt out and just as angry as he is. The wreck stuff until they’re exhausted, get high, get drunk. When one of them just starts laying into nothingness, they don’t question it. Onyx has never questioned him, she can handle it. 

“She’s different,” Jack mumbled. 

Clint stared at him for a moment, he can’t help the pull of a memory that hardly runs through his head anymore. Things were so different back then. “Funny, I thought that  when I met Nat too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading to the end! :)  
> I know this isn't super "Avenger-y," I just really like the idea of Clint having a son and all the little mishaps that could go along with it. I'll probably post more about them at some point.   
> PS...the other Avengers have kids too ;)


End file.
